How the 2009 MTV VMAs Kickstarted Taylor Swift & Kanye West’s Feud

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The long-standing rivalry between Taylor Swift and Kanye West is a well-known saga among fans.

Back in 2009, at the MTV Video Music Awards held at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Swift arrived like Cinderella in a grand coach. However, that evening was far from a fairy tale.

Upon winning Best Female Video for “You Belong With Me,” Swift graced the stage to accept her award. At just 19 years old, she expressed her gratitude:

“I’ve always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but I never actually thought that it would happen. I sing country music so thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA Award.

Before I let her conclude her remarks, West abruptly snatched the microphone and declared that Beyoncé ought to have been the recipient for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. I’m a firm believer in her talent, so I share his sentiment.

The rapper addressed Taylor, saying, “Congratulations, Taylor, I’m genuinely thrilled for you. However, I feel compelled to interject that Beyoncé’s video is among the finest ever produced.

In her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana”, Taylor Swift shared her feelings about an incident where she believed the crowd was booing her, not Kanye West, as he left the stage. She had built her career on winning applause, so the boos were particularly impactful for her. Later that night, Beyoncé won Video of the Year and called Swift back on stage, but the incident with West stayed with her. In the documentary, she mentioned that it set off a series of psychological journeys, not all of which were beneficial, as she felt like she didn’t belong there.

However, Swift made it clear she didn’t want any bad blood.

In the video obtained by Entertainment Tonight, she expressed that she is not acquainted with him and has no intention of initiating any new relationships.

Indeed, West’s interjection certainly ignited a dispute that became one of the most debated feuds in the annals of pop culture. However, at a certain juncture, it seemed as though the Grammy recipients were on the verge of resolving the entire matter amicably.

Following the VMAs, Swift shared that she received a heartfelt apology from him on ABC News Radio West, an apology she graciously accepted. The subsequent year at the award show, she performed “Innocent,” a song believed to be about granting forgiveness, further indicating her acceptance of his apology.

Regarding West, he admitted to Jay Leno that his actions were both “inappropriate” and “impolite, full stop.” (However, he expressed in 2013 to The New York Times that he had no regrets about the stage interruption and stated that his apology was due to peer pressure).

By 2015, Swift, West and his then-wife Kim Kardashian were spotted chatting it up at the Grammys.

The individual shared with Vanity Fair at the time that both he and Jay-Z weren’t quite ready to form a friendship until each felt respected by the other. It was a mutual issue, and they simultaneously arrived at this point. He further stated that becoming friends with Jay-Z was significant for him, and it was crucial for Jay-Z that Kanye and he had a harmonious relationship.

And liking West “as a person,” she continued, was a “really good, nice first step.”

In 2015 at the VMAs, when Swift was asked to give Kanye West the Video Vanguard Award, which would have been a symbolic moment considering their past incident, she accepted. Leveraging their well-known encounter from years ago, Swift joked, “I must acknowledge that I’m truly delighted for all the winners tonight. But I feel compelled to say, Kanye West has had an extraordinary career, one of the greatest in history.

But when West released his song “Famous” in 2016, fans watched it begin again.

Essentially, what Taylor Swift conveyed is that West didn’t inform her before releasing the lyric “I made that bitch famous”, contrary to West and Kardashian’s assertions that he had previously warned her about this song.

Last summer, Kardashian shared videos on Snapchat that seemed to depict Swift and West discussing the track for The Life of Pablo, which subsequently sparked the hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty and a wave of snake emojis online. Nevertheless, Swift asserted that West had never informed her he intended to refer to her as “that bitch” in the song.

She stated on social media: “Having my integrity questioned when I was not privy to the whole truth or involved in the composition, is an unfair character attack.” She expressed her desire to not be connected with this storyline, one that she never desired to be a part of, since 2009.

Looking back at the scandal in a 2023 interview for TIME, Swift said it felt like “a career death.”

In a secretly taped conversation that Kim Kardashian later manipulated and shared, it was falsely implied that I was dishonest, causing me immense psychological distress. This ordeal led me to relocate to another country, avoid phone calls for an entire year, isolate myself from many people in my life due to loss of trust, and experience a profoundly low point.

But when West released his song “Famous” in 2016, fans watched it begin again.

In essence, Taylor Swift stated that West hadn’t informed her about the lyrics “I made that woman famous,” contrary to West and Kardashian’s assertions that they had previously shared this information with her.

During that summer, Kardashian shared Snapchat videos which seemed to depict Swift and West conversing about the track on The Life of Pablo, thereby igniting a wave of “#TaylorSwiftIsOverParty” and snake emojis online. Yet, Swift consistently asserted that West had not informed her he would refer to her as “that bitch” in the song.

She stated on social media that it’s unfair and damaging to be labeled as a liar when the entire story wasn’t shared with her or when she had no role in creating the song. Since 2009, she has wanted no association with this narrative that she never asked to be involved in.

Looking back at the scandal in a 2023 interview for TIME, Swift said it felt like “a career death.”

In an allegedly fabricated and secretly taped conversation, edited by Kim Kardashian, she publicized claims that I was deceitful. This accusation led me to psychological depths I’d never experienced before. As a result, I relocated to another country, abandoned my rental home for over a year, shied away from phone calls, and distanced myself from many in my circle because I no longer trusted anyone. I suffered greatly.

For Swift, the dispute with West went beyond the lyrics of a song and delved into their history together. According to an interview with Rolling Stone in 2019, she had long desired West’s respect since the 2009 VMAs incident. When they reconnected, she felt like she was “mending some childhood hurt or something that happened when I was 19.”

However, old wounds were reopened during the 2015 VMAs when Swift presented West with an award and he made a remark about the media announcement of her presenting him the award boosting ratings. She commented, “I realized he was two-faced. He wanted to be nice to me behind the scenes but then he wanted to look cool in front of everyone by talking nonsense.”

She added that she was furious after his remarks and he invited her to talk to him in his dressing room afterwards. However, she refused and the following day received a large bouquet of flowers from West as an apology. Swift said she decided not to hold onto the grudge and move past it. But her peace with West was disrupted when she heard the lyrics of “Famous.

In an interview, she shared, “When he called me and displayed such respect by discussing a single lyric in the song, I felt touched. I replied, ‘Great! We’re back to being on good terms.’ However, upon hearing the song later, I said to myself, ‘Enough is enough. If you insists on a strained relationship, let it be clear-cut. Be honest about it.’

In simpler terms, during that period, Kardashian explained that she felt compelled to support West when their conflict arose (this was prior to their divorce and his controversial antisemitic comments). However, despite telling Andy Cohen in 2019 that she had moved past her dispute with Swift, it reignited in 2020 when what seemed like additional footage from the famous phone call surfaced online.

In her tweet, Kardashian clarified, “To set the record straight, my only concern regarding the incident was that Taylor lied about not being contacted by Kanye and her publicist claiming ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission…’ They did speak, so I shared the evidence with everyone. The word ‘bh’ wasn’t used without her consent.”

In essence, the feud between Swift and Kardashian has experienced different stages, some of which have been referenced in Swift’s music, such as her 2017 album “reputation” or the 2024 track titled “thanK you aIMee” (known as “thank You aimEe”). Although fans have speculated about the meaning behind this song, pointing out how the capitalized letters spell out “Kim” and West’s new name “Ye,” Swift herself hasn’t been secretive about her feelings towards the track.

Whenever someone speaks negatively about me, it actually motivates me to work harder and become stronger,” she expressed during a 2024 Eras Tour appearance in London, as reported by Parade. “This also makes me extremely grateful for those individuals.”

With the anticipation building towards the 2025 VMAs, where Swift is nominated for Artist of the Year, let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the most iconic VMA moments from years past.

During Taylor Swift’s win for Best Female Video, a rapper unexpectedly stormed the stage, expressing his belief that Beyoncé had made one of the greatest videos ever. Later, when Beyoncé was awarded Video of the Year, she invited Taylor Swift to share the stage with her, giving Taylor her moment in the spotlight as well.

Immediately following their nuptials, the newlyweds strolled onto the stage, interlocked in each other’s hands, eliciting thunderous applause from the audience. When Jackson expressed his contentment by saying, “I’m thrilled to be here, and who would have guessed this relationship would endure?”, the daughter of Elvis Presley and he exchanged a kiss before departing the stage.

The popular singer declared that she and Jay-Z are set to have their first child, as she lovingly displayed her growing belly on the red carpet and concluded her rendition of “Love On Top” by gently touching her baby bump and symbolically setting down her microphone.

 

In a catchy tune, the well-known artist known as “The Material Girl” performed “Like a Virgin” by moving about the stage wearing a white wedding gown.

Lady Gaga grabbed attention with her indelible meat gown designed by Franc Fernandez, solidifying her title as the evening’s most decorated celebrity.

At the start of the performance, Britney Spears, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera teamed up to sing “Like a Virgin” and “Hollywood”. Their collaboration culminated in a newsworthy kiss among the ladies.

During the award for Best Hip-Hop Video, an unanticipated moment occurred when the renowned artist accidentally touched Lil’ Kim’s exposed left shoulder area.

It’s hard not to recall when Tim Commerford, the bassist of Rage Against the Machine, made headlines by expressing his disdain towards Limp Bizkit winning an award instead, by crashing the stage and climbing a tower display. While his TV stint was cut short due to the network switching to a commercial break, in reality, Tim’s evening didn’t exactly go smoothly as he was taken into custody and spent a night behind bars.

It’s worth noting that the Kanye West-Taylor Swift incident wasn’t the sole unexpected moment during the 2009 show. Following West’s interruption, Lil Mama surprisingly joined Jay-Z and Alicia Keys on stage during their performance of “Empire State of Mind.

In keeping with his infamous, risqué image, the radio personality made an entrance worthy of a scandalous superhero, being lowered onto the stage under the moniker “Flatulence Man.”

The Shock Jock maintained his lewd reputation by descending onto the stage as a superhero comically named Fartman.

During the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, a well-known rock rivalry played out backstage, with Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain’s wife and their newborn daughter Frances Bean present. Tensions escalated when Love teased Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, provoking him to threaten to physically harm Cobain if he didn’t quiet his “pesky woman.” In response, Cobain jokingly told Love, “Quiet down, darling!

Following his performance with the band Nirvana, their drummer, Dave Grohl, continued to address Axl by saying “Hello, Axl!” into the microphone.

The singer was honored with the title of Best New Artist in a Video, yet she utilized her acceptance speech to voice her discontent towards the Hollywood industry. Addressing the audience, she candidly declared, “This industry is far from perfect.

The popular pop singer made an unforgettable entrance as she performed “I’m a Slave 4 U,” carrying a snake on her shoulders.

In the midst of a continuous dispute between Eminem and Moby, comedian Triumph the Insult Comic Dog made jokes about their disagreement during the VMAs, even directly mocking Moby on stage. However, Eminem was not amused when Triumph tried to do the same to him.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, let me share an intriguing instance from my observations. In a captivating turn of events, Eminem graced the stage to receive the accolade for Best Male Video, and midway through his heartfelt speech, he casually mentioned, “For a brief moment there, that Moby girl disrupted my rhythm.

The popular pop star made a much-awaited comeback on the VMA stage, but her rendition of “Gimme More” received negative feedback.

The pop star, Bieber, experienced a ‘snake-like’ incident of his own during a performance when he introduced a baby boa constrictor named Johnson on stage with him.

At the ceremony for Best Hip-Hop Video (“Anaconda”), Nicki Minaj addressed Miley Cyrus, the host, over unfavorable remarks Cyrus had made about the rapper in an interview with the New York Times. She referred to the pop star as a “tough cookie” and inquired, “What’s up?

Towards the conclusion of his extended Video Vanguard acceptance speech, the rapper surprisingly declared his intention to seek the presidency in the year 2020.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, allow me to share an intriguing moment that made headlines back in 2016. A renowned rapper, expressing his heartfelt sentiments, publicly declared his love for a celebrated songstress during the presentation of her Video Vanguard Award. In front of the captivated audience, he shared, “Ever since I was 22, she’s been someone I’ve held a deep affection for.

Following Camila Cabello’s departure, the girl group made headlines worldwide by starting their performance with an illusion of one of their members seemingly falling off the stage.

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2025-09-06 16:17